


praise the veins that river these wrists

by torigates



Category: Vampire Diaries (TV)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-04
Updated: 2013-11-04
Packaged: 2017-12-31 12:25:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,012
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1031690
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/torigates/pseuds/torigates
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He was wearing the same suit he wore to his parents’ funeral, it felt tight around the shoulders, and the pants were a good inch or two too short, though no one had said anything.</p>
            </blockquote>





	praise the veins that river these wrists

  
The sun was shining, and there was a faint breeze rustling through the cemetery. He was wearing the same suit he wore to his parents’ funeral, it felt tight around the shoulders, and the pants were a good inch or two too short, though no one had said anything.

Jeremy watched Elena’s retreating back. Stefan’s arm was around her waist, and her head was resting on his shoulder. The rest of their friends followed behind his sister. Jeremy thought Elena would probably invite them all back to their house for lunch, and it was such a thing their mom would have done, Jeremy’s heart hurt so much. He missed his parents. He just wanted to see them again one more time. He wanted them to make everything that had happened to the two of them better. He wanted them back.

He stood in front of their graves, and missed his parents.

Bonnie was still standing behind him. He could see her out of the corner of his eye, and he knew he should turn and face her, and talk to her, but he just didn’t know what to say. He didn’t know if there was anything _to_ say.

He had lost so many people, and now Jenna and John were dead. The last remaining adult ties to his parents, the people who were supposed to take care of him and Elena and make sure they were okay were just _gone_ and Jeremy didn’t know how to deal with that.

Jeremy felt so out of control. He felt so powerless. It seemed like everyone else played a large part in the unfolding adventure that seemed to revolve around so many of the people he cared about, and yet, he could do nothing.

He heard Bonnie’s footsteps behind him, and felt her put a hand on his shoulder. He didn’t turn around to face her.

“Are you okay?” she asked him. He could hear the concern in her voice, and imagine the way her eyebrows were drawn together with worry and fear for him.

He inhaled deeply, and held the breath inside him, refusing to exhale for several long seconds, until he felt the burn in his lungs that told him yes, he was alive.

“No,” he said. He wasn’t okay at all.

She stepped around to face him, momentarily blocking his parents tombstone and Jenna and John’s unmarked graves from his line of vision. “What can I do to help?”

He looked down, and studied her face. The thing Jeremy loved about Bonnie, one of the things that had made him fall in love with her, was just how deeply she cared. She cared so much about him, about Elena, and all her friends, she was an amazing person, and Jeremy never doubted for a second how much she cared about him, or how much he cared about her.

He reached out and took her hands. “I want you to trust me,” he said.

“I trust you,” she said, sounding confused. “Of course I trust you.”

He shook his head and clutched her hands tightly. “I want you to trust me to take care of myself.”

He could see from her expression she understood what he was talking about. She bowed her head, and her hair fell across her eyes. Jeremy reached out and tucked it behind her ear. She smiled hesitantly at him. “I want to protect you,” she told him. “I’m scared.”

He pulled her in for a hug, wrapping his arms around her neck, holding her close to him. Her arms were grasped tightly around his waist. They stood like that for a long time, getting their comfort from the physical presence of the other person.

“I know you want to protect me,” he said into her hair, and Bonnie’s arms tightened around his waist. “But you have to let me in. You can’t shut me out. You can’t lock me up.”

“You could die,” she said. “I’m scared something really bad is going to happen to you and there won’t be anything I can do about it.”

He smiled down at her, and cupped her face between his hands, leaning down and brushing his lips against hers. “I know,” he told her. “I’m scared too.” She nodded. “But I am a part of this too, Bonnie. I’m in this just as much as you and Elena, and you need to treat me that way.”

“I know,” she told him. “I’m sorry.”

He wrapped his arms around her neck again, resting his chin on the top of her head. She buried her face against his chest, and he thought about how things might be easier if they could always be like this. Just the two of them, away from the rest of the world and the onslaught of danger they were faced with on a daily basis. Things _would_ be easier, but that wasn’t their lives. Just like it wasn’t his life to have his parents around to help him through everything, and while that did suck pretty much every single day that was just the way their lives went.

“I’m in this with you,” he said, pulling back. He held out his hand. “We’re in this together, all right?”

Bonnie took his outstretched hand in hers, and laced their fingers together. “We’re in this together,” she agreed.

He pulled her against his side, putting his arm around her shoulders. Hers went around his waist, and she gave him a light squeeze. “We’ll protect each other,” he said. “Deal?”

She smiled up at him and nodded. “Deal.”

They walked out of the cemetery arm in arm. Jeremy still felt sad. He still felt scared, he still missed his parents. On the path they were taking none of those things were likely to change in the near future, but he knew he had good people around him. People who loved him, and who he loved. People who would take care of him, and who he would take care of right back.

“We’ll take care of each other,” Bonnie said.

Jeremy smiled. 


End file.
